Chapter 82

Cassian led the knights of the family, the First Knights of the Imperial Family, and investigators belonging to the Inspection Department to Marquisate Blanche.

The investigators were actually informants of the family that did not belong to the imperial family, though the imperial knights who came with them were unaware of the composition. It was also the part where his conversation with Revos had ended.

Jumping off his horse, he gave the order.

“Besiege the mansion.”

About an hour ago, in the Great Temple, it was officially announced that Lady Blanche had touched black magic.

The trial was due to take place soon, and, of course, all members of Marquisate Blanche were to be taken into custody. However, he was not thinking of letting them be taken to the temple because one of the charges against Marquis Blanche included tampering with the Imperial Family’s property.

Cassian was planning to use the Marquis Blanche to completely oust the Empress.

“Your Excellency…!”

Lloyd, who had barely arrived before Cassian crossed the threshold of Marquisate Blanche, grabbed his collar and begged.

“You must never kill him or do anything right away.”

Cassian glanced at Lloyd and smiled bitterly.

“Don’t worry. He must not die yet.”

“Then, why did you talk so harshly?”

As soon as he obtained permission to take Marquis Blanche, he said that he would finally take care of it, and disappeared.

Stroking Lloyd’s hand on his collar, he smiled coldly. Some of the knights besieged the mansion, and the rest followed Cassian into the mansion.

“Don’t let anyone get out of the mansion. Employees are no exception.”

He motioned for Lloyd to come closer, lowered his voice, and whispered in secret.

“You move on your own. There may still be materials related to the poison that the Madam drank, so find them.”

“Understood.”

“How about Sir Ryan?”

Ryan, who arrived shortly after he had finished speaking, got off his horse. After exchanging eye contact, he immediately followed Lloyd to the main building.

The Esteban Knights were openly intervening in this matter, but no one protested.

Since Esteban’s family was the one who revealed that they used black magic, Cassian’s power was at its peak. All the employees were frightened and began to gather together with the knights, and under Lloyd’s command, investigators scoured the Marquisate house like a scavenger.

All sorts of things began to pile up in front of the carriage, including various documents, suspicious magic tools, reagents, and so on. Meanwhile, he was waiting for someone while controlling the situation in the hall on the first floor.

Not long after, the voice of the Marquis in anger and the screams of the Marchioness were heard.

“Duke…!! What is this?”

“Where do you dare put your hand? Let go of me right now.”

The Marquis, who had been dragged out by the knights, strained his neck and shouted. Cassian raised his mouth into a smile and walked closer to the Marquis, and put his sword around his neck.

“When you receive a warning like that, you have to make a good judgment. Or, you can control the house well.”

“What is the crime? There must be nothing for you to move like this!”

As Cassian held out his hand, Lloyd held out a document bearing the imperial seal. Without accepting it, he pointed at the Marquis to read the documents Lloyd was holding, leaving his sword intact.

“Attempted poisoning of the Emperor, embezzlement of funds, illegal business, illegal slave trade…”

From Cassian’s mouth, each type of charge came out. Obviously, although the attempt to poison the Emperor was done by Peloit, Marquisate Blanche was his limbs.

The Marchioness, who heard the list of charges, passed out on the spot, and the Marquis shot his eyes to Cassian and trembled.

“It’s a conspiracy! You punk…! Do you know what kind of family we are?”

“There’s still something important left, but I guess you haven’t heard of it.”

As Cassian drew his sword and made a chin gesture, the knights made Marquis Blanche kneel down. His face was flushed with shame, and his eyes flashed as if it was about to pop.

“You don’t know yet that your daughter was imprisoned in the Great Temple for touching black magic?”

“Wh, what—!”

At the word of black magic, the Marquis’s face turned blue.

“As of today, the name of Marquisate Blanche will disappear from the Empire, Marquis.”

’So enjoy the last moment.’

Turning his body as his task was over, Cassian gave orders to the knights.

“Those who resist may be cut down.”

At the same time as the Marquis cried out, five men, all dressed in black, appeared and rushed at him.

It was an unexpected ambush, but he did not panic. With each swing of Cassian’s sword, they fell to the floor, bleeding one by one. Those who were about to shout that it was dangerous, held their breath and watched what he was doing.

“Are you carrying these things around as shadows?”

Cassian swung his sword at the Marquis. Blood splashed on his face as the horizontal gesture, followed by screams.

“Kyaa!”

The workers who were being captured by the knights screamed.

“Kuhukk… You, you punk!!”

A long cut was formed on the Marquis’ side.

“What do you mean, punk? Even when you were a marquis and now as a commoner, I am in a higher position. Call me properly.”

The Marquis, who had never expected the sword to be pointing at him, trembled.

Cassian beckoned the knights to get him up and gave the order.

“Sinners need no mercy. Take him away.”

Cassian and Lloyd headed to the Marquis’ office.

Bug, who was waiting, guided them.

“Bug, you go downstairs and sort things out. Lloyd, you look at the place where the Marquis and the Lady used to stay.”

“Yes.”

As Cassian entered the office, he saw Ryan, who started the investigation first. He glanced around the office slowly, then he went to the Marquis’ desk and opened the drawers one by one.

“Where would you be?”

Where would be the place to hide important documents?

“I found it.”

As Cassian turned his head, he saw Ryan looking at the safe.

“You’re looking good.”

“Because it was something I was doing.”

Ryan pulled out all the documents and items from the safe. At that moment, he could see a box of envelopes.

Cassian, who was quickly scanning the letter, stopped.

[ It has been confirmed that your daughter and Duke Esteban have a close relationship. It’s confirmed that he and Lady Lowell had no choice but to proceed with their engagement due to a one-night mistake. ]

“Haa…”

Cassian put the letter down and ruffled his hair. Seeing that, Ryan picked up the letter that he had seen.

“Is that true?”

“Are you seriously asking?”

“Maybe, it was the Marquis’ work.”

The poison fed to Elysia was paid for by Marquis Blanche, though Lady Blanche said that she did not know anything about it. Then, this was what came out of the Marquis’ office.

“Can I just kill him?”

“No. Let’s find out who leaked this information.”

Ryan responded with a face full of defiance.

“You can find out by killing the Marquis.”

“It looks like there are more people, so we have to keep him alive. I’m the one who really wants to grab the marquis by the throat.”

Cassian checked the envelope once more.

The sender wasn’t written down, and it didn’t seem like it was an informant for the Marquisate.

The handwriting was different from the other letters. Even though there was no such thing as false rumors, the fact that such a story fell into the hands of the Marquis was a result of someone intentionally leaking information.

***
Elysia, who had heard of what had happened in the Marquisate Blanche, was heading to District four with Ryan in the carriage. She was looking for one of the maids who was close to Lumiere.

“Suddenly quitting her job…?”

“Yes. Rosa, whom I’m visiting now, was said to be the maid that was the closest to that woman.”

“That woman…? Are you talking about Lumiere?”

“Yes. She was not in the position to be called Lady anymore. I don’t want to call her by her name.”

Elysia nodded her head. Well, he wanted that, so what can she say…?

Sighing a little, she then leaned back comfortably.

District four was where Ryan lived. The Marquisate’s maid lived in District four while she was with Lumiere for a long time.

“What about personal information?”

“There was nothing much, except for the fact that she came from an orphanage sponsored by Marquisate Blanche.”

She was raised under the Marquisate’s patronage, though she thought that she might not have poisoned Lumiere. Still, even though she thought so, she didn’t know what people could do because there were plenty of people who do anything for money.

“Anything like men problems?”

“I know that it has been a while since she met the escort knight of lady Marquisate Aiden for about a year and then broke up.”

“Lady Marquisate Aiden…?”

Elysia ran her fingers through her hair in question.

…Was there a Lady Marquisate Aiden?

She immediately remembered what the first part of the original story was like. This was because not long after Lumiere was enlisted in Marquisate Blanche’s family, she attended Marquis Aiden’s funeral.

Lumiere, who had gone to the funeral, was asked by the Ladies what she was here for since they had never even seen her face, and was embarrassed.

“Is Lady Aiden alive?”

“What? Yes, she is alive.”

Ryan had a puzzled look as he felt the question was a bit odd.

“Shall I find out?”

“Let’s meet the maid first.”

Hearing the coachman’s voice saying they had just arrived, Elysia took Ryan’s hand and got off the carriage. Both wore robes and had their faces covered. She had to walk a bit as she got off a little distance from District four.

Elysia opened her mouth to Ryan as she recalled what she had heard from Cassian last night.

“Did you get anything other than that strange letter from yesterday?”

“As far as I know, yes. More details will come out after further investigation.”

Ryan seemed convinced that it wouldn’t be the end.

“It seems that it was really Marquis Blanche who poisoned Lady Elysia.”

Nodding her head, she smiled timidly.

Even though Marquisate Blanche was also a commoner now, he didn’t call him that man.

It was something Ryan would almost certainly say. Marquis Blanche wanted to have a wedding with the Duke of Esteban, so he used the lowly method of causing infertility. When in fact, his daughter was becoming a fool.

It was shocking that someone could do such a thing without hesitation with the false information that someone intentionally leaked.

Elysia was wondering if the person who poisoned Lumiere and the person who leaked the false information to Marquis Blanche might be the same person. She had that intuition, although there was nothing in common other than that they simply used poison.

As they entered an alley in District four, glances focused on and followed her and Ryan.

“This is it.”

It was a shabby one-story house. As expected, it was too shabby for a maid of a marquisate to live. Even if she didn’t live well, she should be able to live in a better and more ordinary house than this. Did she donate her salary…?

Well, it was something to check soon.

Ryan took the lead and tried to knock, before stopping and turning back.

“Why?”

He did not answer, but glanced at the door. Seeing that, Elysia approached with a puzzled expression.

The faint smell of her blood brushed the tip of her nose.